Cream Puffs and some Vanilla Filling

I use these for profiteroles, eclaires, or just for themselves as they are. They can be filled with just about anything. My fav filling though is a vanilla filling, for which I will post the recipe below.
Ok, now let's get to work:
What we will need is:
1/3 to 1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 TBSP sugar
3 TBSP butter
1/2 cup to 2/3 cup flour, all purpose
2 eggs, preferably brought to room temp.

And now, what we will need to do is:
Place the water, salt, sugar, butter in a medium size sauce pan and stir until you see the butter melt.
With the sauce pan removed from he heat, add all the flour and mix hard and fast until a ball that pulls away from margins has formed.
Now let the mixture cool for at least 10 minutes and then add the eggs, one at a time, making sure they are very well blended in.
Place the mix in a ziplock bag, cut a 1/2 inch tip and pipe mounds the size of a teaspoon.
Better smaller than too big.
Make sure you leave at least 2 inch wide spaces in between mounds.
Bake the puffs at 425 for 22 to 30 minutes or until they look golden-brown and delicious.
Remove from the oven and cool on wire racks.
Cut almost in half and put the filling in or cut in half all the way and use it as a mini sandwich.
Delicious !




Now for the vanilla filling.....
This is somewhat a variation of a vanilla filling that I already had, but inspired myself a bit from Laura Adamache as well.
So here we go:
Ingredients:
2 eggs
40 gr all purpose flour
10 gr corn starch
vanilla and almond extract
100 gr sugar
330 ml milk
another 30 ml milk (cold)

Directions:
Put the 330 ml milk in a sauce pan on the heat to almost boil.
Separate the eggs into 2 medium size bowls.
Now mix the egg yolks with half of the sugar and when it has doubled in size and the color is a very light yellow, add the extracts, then the 30 ml of cold milk.
Mix and add to this bowl half of the almost boiling milk.
Mix again and add over the milk in the sauce pan.
Keep on medium-low heat until it thickens, stirring continuously with a spoon or spatula.
After you are done with that, remove from the heat and let it rest.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, add the sugar that you have left and fold the foam/meringue into the hot mixture waiting for you.
Keep on medium heat for 5 more minutes stirring slowly or better yet folding slowly.
Cool and use as you wish.